Even though Joao Felix only re-signed for Chelsea last summer, he left Stamford Bridge midway through the season to join AC Milan on a short-term loan deal.
Joao Felix, 25, did find it difficult competing in a stacked Chelsea squad in the first half of the campaign. The versatile attacker scored seven goals in 20 Blues appearances across all competitions this season, but he couldn’t nail down a starting position.
The Portuguese star scored on his Milan debut against Roma last week, plus started for them on the weekend in a Serie A victory over Empoli.
Apparently, Chelsea do plan to sell Felix in the summer once his loan spell at the San Siro ends.
- READ MORE: Chelsea fans are all in agreement about Nicolas Jackson after Joao Felix’s debut goal for AC Milan
What Zlatan Ibrahimovic said about Chelsea loanee Joao Felix
Football great Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who now works in an advisory role at AC Milan, has just delivered a glowing verdict on Felix’s arrival at the Italian club.
“Today we welcome Joao, even though he has already introduced himself with a magical goal. He is a great talent, he has experience, but he is young and can still grow a lot,” Ibrahimovic said, as quoted by Alfredo Pedulla.
“We looked for a player between midfield and attack for blocked matches, against closed teams and here he can make the difference. He is a player of magic and this is something you either have or you don’t. His quality speaks for itself and we are satisfied. We must now put him in a position to do the best he can”.
It’s very interesting to hear Felix’s strengths highlighted as a player. We believe it shows exactly why Chelsea shouldn’t have loaned out the 25-year-old playmaker midway through this 2024/25 season.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca claims his side don’t miss Felix, but we’re looking at an attack that’s become a bit toothless in the last couple of months.
Like Ibrahimovic mentions, Felix is the type of individual who can make the difference with a bit of special skill in a crowded area. The Blues no longer have someone with his attacking firepower at their disposal when Maresca is looking to impact matches from the bench.
Why Chelsea should have kept Joao Felix
Even though Felix couldn’t force his way into the best XI, you could make a good case to say he deserved a lot more minutes at Chelsea this season.
The versatile forward definitely could have contributed to help an inconsistent attack. Instead, fans are seeing the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson really struggle for form.
If Blues playmaker Cole Palmer does miss any matches in the remainder of the season, the club will wish they had someone like Felix in reserve.
Back in October, Felix predicted he would come good in Chelsea colours. It’s quite damning that only a few months later he’s no longer in the Blues squad at Stamford Bridge.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
